NEWARK — Andy Greene needed two more days of practice on Wednesday and Thursday to get himself to the right comfort level to return to the Devils’ lineup.
After missing 12 straight games after blocking a shot with his left arm on Jan. 3, Greene said he will play on Friday when the Devils host the Calgary Flames at 7:30 p.m. at the Prudential Center.
“Whenever you get two more days of practice in and feel good and feel more confident out there, it’s good,” Greene said. “Getting to touch, handle the puck, working on some system things that we did today and be around the team.”
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Greene’s return comes with auspicious timing for the Devils. Defenseman Jon Merrill missed Thursday’s practice due to an upper body injury, and coach John Hynes ruled Merrill out of Friday’s game against the Flames, plus Saturday’s game on the road against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
With Merrill absent, Greene also jumped into a power-play unit during Thursday’s practice, skating with Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri, Travis Zajac and Miles Wood.
Greene appeared to be close to a return before the Devils departed on a four-game road trip on Jan. 10, but Greene just practiced and stayed out through the All-Star break. Greene said the return took a little longer than he expected, but he’s been going about his days like he was still in the lineup.
“It’s just getting back in the routine and doing everything you normally would do getting ready for games,” Greene said. “You try to stay in that routine as much as you can when you’re not playing, so when you try to come back it’s not that big of an adjustment.”
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Chris Ryan may be reached at cryan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRyan_NJ. Find NJ.com Devils on Facebook.
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